RIP GURU

The legend and founder behind the hip hop group Gang Starr passed this morning at the age of 43 following an epic battle with cancer. I’m sure as with any illness, passing and its intersection with business, there was a bit of drama behind this whole mess. The peace that comes with rest after a long battle through the night will bring a morning so eternal and blessed. Rest in peace, sir, your beats, your legend and your badassness (alongside your character, flavor, warmth and humanity) will be remembered forever more!

And now, for the drama…

Allegedly, Guru left a letter to his family and friends penned by a third person (Solar) expressing his wishes, his gratitude and…his hatred? It’s received mixed review and is questioned in its authenticity (mostly because that’s a lot of hate to let out on your deathbed). Posting it for readers to see and decide for themselves (more links below).

Letter to his fans reads:

“In the letter, seen below, the rapper explains his illness, expresses gratitude to supporters and offers some parting words for DJ Premiere.

I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options.

I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting.

My loyal best friend, partner and brother, Solar, has been at my side through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends, and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody’s feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organized approved by Solar on behalf myself and my son until he is of age to except on his own.

I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us perform over the years from all over the world. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and represents some of the best years of my life.”

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Here is another view:

As posted on DJ Premier blog citing a letter from Guru’s sister recounting unfortunately the extent of Guru’s disease.

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I am truly sorry to see such drama persist mostly because it has allowed a spectacle to brew over an artist revolutionary who died a humble death from a most awful disease most privately and underhandedly all to publicly.

Regardless, like my homie did say:So i guess whatever happened there, we can say, “charge it to the game.”

Looking for another reason to buy the iPad? Well Apple and third party apps are! Presenting, a new way for the hipster to meet the nerd – the iPad Mixer DJ App. Apparently this app emulates two turntables and a mixer playing mp3s much like Serato does. Is it the real thing, though? Doubtful, but nonetheless pretty rad. Apparently, the mixer can also be loaded with effects for mixing including auto filter, delay, bitcrusher and chorus/flanger.

According to developers, “[The] Mixrs turntables look and feel just like the real thing” boasting seamless transition, perfect precision and easy-to-do beat-matching. Calling the mixing quality “professional,” developers also made the mixes recordable on the iPad. So, are you any more convinced to buy this?

The Week reported in its latest issue that “Modest dog owners are buying a product called Rear Gear – a decorative cover for a pet’s unsightly anus. Retailing for $5 under the slogan “No More Mr. Brown Eye,” the Rear Gear dangles from the base of a dog’s tail, obscuring the anus, and is available in a variety of designs, including a flower, a heart, and a sheriff’s badge.”

I did a little interweb digging myself and found more links to confirm the market for unsightly canine anus covers:

“Is your pet feeling left in the dirt because of his/her unsightly rear? I’ve got them covered… Rear Gear is handmade in Portland, OR and offers a cheerful solution to be-rid your favorite pet’s un-manicured back side.”

“While we love our pets dearly for their companionship and free spirits, we have to admit that they could work on their hygiene, not to mention their sense of shame. Some cats and dogs seem almost proud of their backside, always putting it up in your face as you scratch their back. Obviously little pants wouldn’t be practical, but Rear Gear Butt Covers do the trick by dangling in front of the bits you’d rather not see. They come in designs like fuzzy dice, cupcake, number one ribbon, biohazard symbol and more. Sure, butt covers are among the weirder pet products out there, but with a slogan like “No more Mr. Brown eye” we can totally get behind them.”

Quote of the Day: “Now, if they could keep my dog from wiping her ass on the carpet.”

Ansel Adams was commissioned in 1941 by then Secretary of the Interior Ickes to create murals of areas controlled by the Interior. The photos were shelved shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor starting the US involvement in WWII. Seventy years later, 26 of them are finally being displayed in an exhibition (by reservation only) in DC. Since it is rather difficult for the average Joe (too soon?) to access these beautiful murals, these prints are now available for public viewing online at the Department of the Interior Website . These photos are spectacular. Ansel Adams: Awing Eyes Yet Again!

It’s time for every apple-worshiping Geek to hold with breaths abated as Apple announced today that the iPad will be on shelves on April 3rd with online pre-ordering beginning next Friday, March 12th. I probably will not end up purchasing one, at least not the first-gen, but I do see a market for which the iPad has a niche: seniors who want the iPhone but do not want to squint their eyes while reading. So brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, this may either be one elaborate April Fools joke or the extra electronic non-commodity toy called the iPad will be on shelves at your nearest Apple store or online in time for spring. I wonder how many bugs will come with it?

The iPad – Be in the Know:

It’s set to be on shelves 3 April 2010 in the United States

iPad will be available in both Wi-Fi and 3G models in late April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, with more countries added later this year.

Prices start at $499.

Full pricing scheme:

$499 for 16GB (WiFi only)

$599 for 32GB (WiFi only)

$699 for 64GB (WiFi only)

$629 for 16GB (WiFi + ATT 3G)

$729 for 32GB (WiFi + ATT 3G)

$829 for 64GB (WiFi + ATT 3G)

Note: This are wi-fi only models. Wi-fi + 3G models should be available in late April 2010.

Adobe Flash plug-ins will be left out

The iPad is expected to ship with 12 new applications designed specifically for it.

Most of the 150,000 apps that currently run on iPhones will run on the iPad

iPad vs. Kindle battle: iBooks to include Apple’s iBookstore will be a free updated app available for download April 3.

Pre-orders and reserves for pick up begin 12 March 2010 via the Apple Online Store

Note the fineprint found on Apple’s website 3/5/10: This device has not yet been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.

Hawaii & The Pacific Currently Under Tsunami Warning

A devastating earthquake hit Chile yesterday, February 26, 2010 killing an estimated 122 people. The quake, measuring at 8.8 magnitude, triggered a tsunami wave that put parts of the Pacific including Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam under warning with waves estimated to hit at 1119 Pacific standard time Saturday, February 27, 2010 on the shores of Hilo Bay. Scientists have recorded the wave passing through the Galapagos, French Polynesia and most recently the Marquesas Islands, where it measured close to 1.9 meters. Honolulu is most likely to be least affected; however a close watch is being kept on Hilo on island of Hawai’i, where a tsunami triggered also by an earthquake measuring 9.5 in magnitude in 1960 killed over 50 people. All coastal areas of each island are under warning, roads in the inundation zone will be closed beginning 10AM PST. The Governor issued a statement this morning declaring a state of emergency in anticipation of what Hawaii may face due to an issue regarding closing sewage pumping stations among other possible infrastructure problems. Acting Honolulu Mayor has asked folks to limit water, electricity and phone use as well as limiting discretionary cartrips to give emergency personnel freer-flowing abilities to reach any affected areas. Also keep in mind that if you cannot evacuate to higher ground, evacuate vertically (above the third floor). Coastal areas have been evacuated as of 933AM and everyone appears to be sitting tight and waiting.

Tsunami is Hawai’i’s #1 natural disaster killer because there is generally a low level of public understanding of destructive potential. The groups at the highest risks are surfers, spectators and boaters; a lot of uninformed surfers think this is a perfect time to catch a wave. Tsunami waves are not surfable waves; they are more like quick and sharp tidal shifts bringing a river of water and all accompanying debris inland at various but dangerous speeds for pedestrians. Surges last between three to five minutes. The waters begin to recede and the process repeats itself for a series of potentially devastating tidal surges. The waves, roughly 20 minutes apart, could continue through the afternoon, and forecasters are looking at a wave of potentially six feet in height. But what does that mean if you were in Hilo Bay? The sea level rapidly rises in a flash flood effect; the waves can be full of debris that can be more damaging than the water itself. A two to three foot wave can easily knock someone off his/her feet and carry debris. Tsunami waves come from a line source (a fault) with a series of parallel waves that conserve their energy across the entire Pacific basin. One part of it will be very large, and Hawaii is on the edge of it. Thanks, Dr. Becker. The sirens are going off again.

While nothing epically dangerous is likely to happen, especially in the highest-populated areas of Honolulu, two things protect the importance of civil defense and emergency preparedness: 1) the state of Hawai’i, like any area under a state of emergency, is under tight scrutiny from national and international audiences in light of increased natural disasters and former failures in system wide emergency preparedness. Now a hot topic and economic trend, emergency preparedness has within its own markets quite a competition in light of these increased dangers and unchecked systems. Hawai’i has the expectation despite the angst to implement a system-wide emergency prepardness test in light of a very real natural disaster with an unpredictable outcome.

2) The second is a lot simpler. There isn’t the need to mess with Mother Earth.

It’s better to be safe than sorry, friends. This is a great time for the state to test a system, whose advances in technology since the last disaster have increased exponentially. One would hope the larger population would agree to listen to authorities, get safe and chill out for the day if not for the natural disaster, for our ability to test a system that hasn’t been tested since the 1960s. What hit American Samoa in recent past resulted from a lack of emergency preparedness. We have an obligation to our people to handle situations as best as known possible and as systematically as possible. We are hooking our future self up in light of the facts that natural disasters have increased and increased in intensity. Our new age human will have to understand the mechanisms of accountability in safety and self-awareness. We live in different times. And while my uncle will probably be right in saying “nothing or nobody will stop me from my day” before leaving to go god-knows-where to carry on with business as usual, I can’t help but ask that everyone be safe just in case…and throw a tsunami party with your emergency grum and liquers!

February 27, 2010

Update:

145PST Tsunami warning canceled and roads are beginning to open…

I am amazed at my ability to “monitor the situation” via web technology & social media. So different from recent times past! Regardless of the size of this thing, it’s quite an awesome adventure to witness from 5,000 some odd miles away! Thanks to all the friends and local media outlets who have kept us updated via the web, facebook and twitter! Keeping all of the kama’aina transplants at ease and proud of the emergency preparedness (or pissed because it was blown out of proportion) of our Hawai’i Nei.

1211PM PST The Alawai is surging, eww!

1206PM PST Waters have begun receding and surging off the coasts of Hilo, O’ahu and Maui. It is currently moving up the island chain and has reached Barber’s Point, O’ahu by now. The arrival times are about right and the wave heights are about expected. We just heard it’s at one meter in Kahului Harbor right now paralleling Hilo’s first surge. Resonant harbors receive larger waves than usual. Hilo, Kahului, Hale’iwa and Hanalei are types of resonant bays across the island change and are reporting as predicted. Obviously, no damage at this point. Things are changing minute by minute. The surges appear to be gaining power and lasting longer indicating the start of the tsunami event.

It is the first day back to work in over a week thanks to our friend The Snowmageddon (including Part Two). I like many others have an indescribable excitement to be back. This is probably due to my need for socialization as I have been cooped up in my apartment for the better part of the last 168 hours (save for the minor trips to the park and grocery store for blog writing purposes). As it stands, The Federal Government is operating today but under a delayed arrival. This means that it is completely understandable that my normally 20 min. commute to work today took an hour and fifteen minutes. The office is “same ole same ole” but it was such new appeal to it. I wanted to hug my coworkers like I hadn’t seen them in ages and appreciated (to a certain extent) the normal hustle and bustle of being back to work in NW DC. That being said, it’s Friday and there is a substantial amount of work to do before taking holiday. Partnered with a substantial amount of giddiness, I’m not sure how type-A productive this day will be, but it’s good to be back nonetheless.

Found this vid circulating through the DMV area social media sites – time lapsed photography of the Snowmageddon for your viewing pleasure:

223PM While this blog is about to become history seeing as the #snoverkill snow storm has come with a bang and gone with a whimper (and some wind), I lament but only briefly because I saw this: Say It Ain’t Snow! More East Coast Snow Expected via NPR. The National Weather Service is currently watching some weather set to approach on Monday with potential to bring accumulating snow back to the DMV. Seriously?????????

219PM It’s a beautiful day out. I woke up to sun blazing through my window shades, partially-cleared roads (I could hear snow plows and trucks in reverse gear beep-beep-beep all night) and a fierce ugly wind wafting its way through the street corridors. People are out and about and because tomorrow is most definitely NOT a snow day, we all seem to be having this carpe-diem super-sunday mentality. In other words, LET’S BOOGIE! Current conditions: 39ºF out with a healthy breeze and melting snow.

10 February 2010

654 OPM called it:

603PM The nightly OPM watch has begun.

540PM DC Grocery Store Open, But Nobody Working via WUSA9.com
WASHINGTON (AP) Some northwest Washington residents resorted to the honor system during the snow storm when they found a Safeway grocery store with the doors open — but no employees.

3PM Pic of the Day

140PM Watch the vid. It’s pretty self-explanatory:

Accompanying photos of the neighborhood under wind, snow, snow drifts and more wind:

(L) Car? What car? (R) Burial of the corner stop sign (continued)
(L) Why, who is that, a rogue traveler come from afar? (R) No, it’s just a dude skiing down our street

1205PM SNOWMAGEDDON 2010 aka The storm of the century now has t-shirt paraphernalia:

This tee , brought to you by One Vs Many, a DC based creative agency was posted on Thrillist.com . This souvenir/survivor-man trophy can be yours for $24, a portion of which goes to SOME (So Others Might Eat), a non-profit organization that provides food, clothing and health care services to the impoverished.

820AM When the snow stopped last night, I’m sure everyone questioned the futility of another cabin fever-inducing economic loss of a snow day, but this morning, I awoke to this and HOLY COW IS THIS A STORM!!! In the vid, I’m so stunned that all I can seem to do is look both ways, like I’m about to cross a street…and say WOW a lot.

9 February 2010

1010PM Snow is coming down consistently; sticky and accumulating; there is a layer of fresh white on the roads with temperatures in the upper 20s meaning freezing time!

650PM

631PM 100 million people getting snow: Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Washington D.C., Boston. These are “storms for the record books.”

622PM More than enough snow on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard; not enough snow in Vancouver, BC. WintergamesFAIL

550PM

“ABC7 braved the rugged streets of Clarendon to interview us on cabin fever and subsequently quoted us out of context in this breaking story…”

What the reporter said was if she could interview us on cabin fever. What she didn’t say was that the two of us would be her feature on a piece about depression. Talk about quoted out of context, the reporter associated seasonal affective disorder, depression and cabin fever with my pseudo serious desire to go back to work. I, as a result, look incredibly depressed and impatient when in actuality, we spent most of the time laughing. What they didn’t mention was that all they asked my bf and I were: if we had cabin fever, if we were sick of eachother, if we wanted to go back to work, what the weirdest thing we did over the snow days was (to which I replied this blog) and what items we bought from Walgreens. I said we bought dish-washing soap. I said that I was looking forward to going back to work. But beware, ladies and gentlemen, lethargy and cabin fever after being stuck inside for six days could mean that you too suffer from depression. Depression caused by snowstorm. Nevermind the bestest part where when asked if we were “sick of eachother,” my response was…”HAHAHAHA……..<pause>……… Naaawwwww he’s cool.” Glad we could be a part of your filler material, ABC7, a bit of a downer that your filler material used baseless quotes out of context to make residents look especially peeved and borderline depressed. Maybe it was those bags under my eyes from the no sleep I’ve been getting since I get to stay up all night on snow days? Maybe she said “damn I need someone to interview, that girl looks bombed out and depleted, let’s interview her!” Good investigative journalism. THANKS NATASHA BARRETT, YOU’RE THE BEST!!!

(But in all honesty, if you are feeling the blues, don’t jump to a hasty conclusion: that you’re depressed. Chances are almost all of us are going stir crazy. It’s human. We aren’t meant for this type of hibernation. Jjust remember that you’ve been locked up in your house for the better part of one week. Stuck. In a shoe box! Put some perspective on it and read a book. Don’t trip out, be safe, enjoy and catch up on all the time you spent wishing you had during the every day rigamarole.)

Dopplar images: (L) 515PM (R) 720PM

533PM Fun Facts et al.:

40,000 tons of road salt from Mexico and Chile brought on for the storms. One store sold 1600 shovels in a half day. Many home improvement stores open until 9PM tonight. On the road, snow is falling, slick conditions, Governor has asked folks to stay off of the roads.

520PM Two storms merging? Snow bands and thunderstorms? Really???

420PM The snow has started…

315PM The storm size got bigger just like that! I need to do more research on storms ripping through the Mid-Atlantic. In other news, no snow yet.

230PM I just made an embarassment of myself when interviewed by channel seven news after leaving Walgreens. When asked what we bought, I said “dish-washing soap.” I DID mention in response to the question ‘What have you been doing?’ that I wrote a blog on the storm. We tried to push the URL, but she said it wouldn’t make it in the interview anyway. She asked us twice if we had cabin fever and if we were getting sick of each other and quite frankly, we lied through our teeth when we said we got ALL of the chores done. We only did some of them. I’m preparing for shame on the 5 o’clock news.

There is no doubt that this weekend’s blizzard was the worst of its kind to hit the DMV area in quite some time. With parts of Maryland and Virginia reporting more than three feet of snowfall, the area is now under pressure to clean up, and clean up fast. In my neighborhood, semis lined up in the intersection waiting for a bulldozer to push and load thousands of pounds of…water:

Despite the transportation lockdown that three feet of snow brought to an area that cringes at the thought of six inches, the neighborhood was fairly busy this afternoon. My hypothesis is that if you live anywhere in the near vicinity of a shopping center, department/drug store and/or libation locales (also known as bars), your roads were cleared first. I missed a few quality pics today which would have perfectly illustrated the insistent (and almost stupid) need to shop, and in retrospect missing those pics bummed me out mostly because the stupid would have spoken for itself. The first was of my favorite model of car, a white BMW M3, whose driver, after revving his engine a few times unclear of how to drive a light low-riding car in the snow, got himself stuck in a small embankment of snow while crossing the intersection (of a non-plowed road). The other was a packed house at the Apple Store filled with geniuses and their life-sized cardboard cutouts. (below: the snow pile is taller than I am!)

What pics I did catch are a bit telling of how apeshit everyone went before this storm. Having thankfully gone to the grocery store a few days prior to the snowstorm, I only heard about the mad rush to the grocery stores from friends who waited hours in line after picking remnants from ransacked shelves (mostly bread, chips, sandwich meats – part storm fear part superbowl party). Here we are, the day after. I figured most replenishment shipments hadn’t made it to the store because of oh, you know, the two plus feet of accumulated snow. Despite that, we decided to venture afoot into the great outdoors to see what incidentals we could grab. This is what we found:

Whole Foods had been depleted. So much so that another person (with a much higher quality professional camera) catalogued the empty shelves with me. I wonder where his pictures will show up. Did you see the shelf where only two dead and deformed bananas claimed last men standing? The store wasn’t as crowded, and with wagons filled with snow, people were forced to baskets, which made aisle arteries much less clogged. The produce, meat and bread sections were completely hollowed out as were the sandwich meats, chips, pasta and pasta sauce. On our way out, we asked the cashier how it had been prior to Friday’s storm. She told us it was pandemonium. “It was like armageddon was coming and everyone needed to buy food, she said. “It was totally crazy.”

The neighborhood park, whose locale I used in watching and measuring the snowfall in my previous blog, Snowmageddon 2010 , was buried under at least two feet of snow with about six inches of it packed in and frozen into a thick sheet of ice. The ground was level with the benches:

Here’s my neighborhood pic of the day (I like it that the sidewalks are cleared when the roads, on the other hand, clearly are not):

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More News:

NASA recently published satellite photos of the Mid-Atlantic seaboard during the snow storm. Even from space, it was a winter wonderland! (Photo taken from: Heavy Snow around U.S. Capital )